Oyster Nachos

“Oyster nachos” are nachos (tortilla chips) with fried oysters. The Dallas-based restaurant chain Fish City Grill claims to be “Home of the Oyster Nacho” and trademarked “oyster nachos” from 1999, but Fish City Grill did not originate the dish. David Garrido had been serving “oyster nachos” at Jeffrey’s in Austin since at least the early 1990s.
 
“Oyster nachos” is still offered in only a limited number of restaurants, most all in Texas.
 
 
Fish City Grill
Oyster Nachos
Tortilla chips with fried oysters, chipotle tartar sauce, & topped with fresh pico de gallo. 5.99
   
Food Network
Jeffrey’s Crispy Oyster Nachos
Recipe courtesy David Garrido
Show:  The Best Of
Episode:  Historic Tables
 
1 yucca root, peeled and sliced thin to make chips
Canola oil, for frying
Sea salt
2 tablespoons mustard
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped habanero pepper
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup olive oil
16 oysters, shucked
Buttermilk, for dredging
Flour, for dredging
1 1/2 cups Mango Pico, recipe follows
 
Preheat a fryer with canola oil to 375 degrees F. Soak yucca root chips in hot water for 15 minutes. Remove from the water and pat dry with paper towels. Fry until light brown, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Season with sea salt. Set aside.
In a blender, combine mustard, honey, lemon, habanero, egg yolks, and cilantro and puree. With the machine running, add the olive oil slowly. Season with salt. Refrigerate until ready to use.
In a saucepan heat canola oil to 375 degrees F. Soak the oysters in buttermilk and transfer to the flour to get a light coating and fry for 45 seconds to 1 minute until lightly brown. Transfer oysters to a paper towel to drain. Place oysters on top of yucca root chips, spoon a little habanero sauce on each oyster and sprinkle with mango pico.
 
Mango Pico:
1/2 cup diced mango
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup diced onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
 
Mix all ingredients in a bowl and let sit for 20 minutes.
Yield: 1 1/2 cups
   
26 February 1994, The Brazosport Facts (Clute, TX), pg. 12, col. 2:
When it comes to good eating, though, fresh seafood is the hallmark of Captain Ken’s Backyard, especially the scrumptious stone crab claw appetizers and oyster nachos.
   
29 March 1996, The Brazosport Facts (Clute, TX), weekend section, pg. 1, col. 1:
Whether you like your oysters on the half-shell, Rockefeller style or the new oyster nachos, have you ever really looked at an oyster shell?
     
The Tex-Mex Cookbook
by Robb Walsh
New York, NY: Broadway Books
2004
Pg. 254:
FRIED OYSTER NACHOS
In 1995, Austin chef David Garrido and I co-authored the cookbook Nuevo Tex-Mex, based on the cooking style Garrido pioneered at his restaurants. Garrido serves a more elegant version of these oyster nachos at Jeffrey’s Restaurants in Austin and Washington, D.C., where they have long been a favorite of the Bush family.
   
MAKES 12 NACHOS
Peanut oil for frying
Buttermilk for dredging
Flour for dredging
12 fresh raw oysters
12 large tortilla chips (preferably round)
1/2 cup Mango Salsa
 
Fill a small skillet to a depth of 1 inch with oil and heat to 375 degress F. Put the buttermilk and flour into two shallow bowls. Soak the oysters in buttermilk, then dip them in flour. Fry each oyster for 45 seconds to 1 minute, or until lightly browned. Transfer the oysters to absorbent paper to drain.
 
To serve, put a teaspoonful of salsa on each chip, then a fried oyster.
 
Google Groups: austin.food
Newsgroups: austin.food
From: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Date: 9 Feb 2007 00:52:15 -0800
Local: Fri, Feb 9 2007 4:52 am
Subject: REVIEW: Fish City Grill (Georgetown)
 
Our first visit was the first week they were open. We started off with the Oyster Nachos ($6.29) (which we were skeptical about) - but were fantastic. Six small, but plump fried oysters on tortilla chips with a chipotle tartar sauce and a nice fresh pico de gallo. 
   
txstitcher
After receiving our drinks we only had time to open the menu before Angel had a dish of oyster nachos sitting before us. Now normally I wouldn’t have eaten an oyster for anything (even if it was fried), but these babies were coated with a cornmeal batter, placed on tortilla chips with some yummy sauce and heavily laden with pico de gallo. Oh my! They were heavenly!
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This entry was posted on Saturday, January 5th, 2008 at 11:15 pm and is filed under great eats.
 
(Trademark)
Word Mark OYSTER NACHOS
Goods and Services (ABANDONED) IC 030. US 046. G & S: nachos, namely, tortilla chips with chipotle tartar sauce, fried oysters, and topped with pico de gallo. FIRST USE: 19991201. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 19991201
Standard Characters Claimed
Mark Drawing Code (4) STANDARD CHARACTER MARK
Serial Number 78728296
Filing Date October 6, 2005
Current Filing Basis 1A
Original Filing Basis 1A
Owner (APPLICANT) Neighborhood Ventures, Inc. CORPORATION TEXAS 5535 Ellsworth Dallas TEXAS 75206
Attorney of Record Jeffrey M. Becker
Type of Mark TRADEMARK
Register PRINCIPAL-2(F)
Live/Dead Indicator DEAD
Abandonment Date October 20, 2007